Charlotte Schmitz

Biography:
Charlotte has developed very consistent and original work about the issues that affect her as a young contemporary woman. She is building a very interesting narrative using compelling images to convey a deliberately personal approach. She has...
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»My uncle sold me to a man who raped me every day. I was promised a better life in Istanbul but they took my passport and forced me to work as a prostitute. Now I stand in front of a closed border. I dont know what to do now. Am Phiona«

»Take me to Jermany!« is what asylum seekers often brought to Charlotte Schmitz and wrote on polaroids, as she was photographing on the Greek Island Lesvos, at the Macedonian border or in Turkey. While often meant as an introductory, the underlying desire was uttermost sincerity. In 2015 many people fleeing war and persecution took the dangerous route from Turkey to Greece looking out for a new home in Europe. Germany accepted a large number of asylum-seekers and took a leading role in coordinating the EU’s response to handle the migrant crisis, thus becoming for many a symbol of welcoming culture and new home.

But Europe has decided that enough have come to their continent, as a result dubious deals have been made between the EU, Turkey, and other countries to prevent migrants from crossing borders. The EU member states didn’t handle the crisis together, instead the whole scenario seems like a huge step backwards in terms of collaboration within the Union. To cut the whole crisis to the chase, a young refugee in Greece wrote »I see only Humans, not Humanity« on his polaroid.

Charlotte sees the people she photographs as active participants to her work, and gives them the chance to tell their own stories. As such, they wrote their thoughts and feelings in their own words – mostly in their native languages – on polaroids she took of them. This made them not just to co-authors, but also humanizes the whole crisis. Charlotte‘s interest goes beyond the medium and the media, she practices photography as activism and believes in the importance of using her role as a professional photographer to mediate positive change. Her work focuses on how activism can be part of the process rather than just the conventional creation of an image.